


Everybody Wants to Rule the World

by addledwalrus



Category: Original Work
Genre: 1950s, 1980s, 80's Music, Action/Adventure, Alcohol, Angst, Awkwardness, Bad Parenting, Big Sisters, Birthday, Breakfast Club References, Brother-Sister Relationships, Bucket List, Bullying, Businessmen, Busking, Cell Phones, Character Development, Cheerleaders, Child Neglect, Childhood Friends, Class Differences, College, Coming of Age, Complete, Computers, Crushes, Dancing and Singing, Dating, Denial of Feelings, Detention, Divorce, Drama, Dreams and Nightmares, Drugs, Dystopia, Education, Emotional Infidelity, Explicit Language, F/M, Fast Cars, Female Characters, Fights, Financial Issues, First Kiss, First Time, Flashbacks, Gang Violence, Gossip, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Greasers, Grief/Mourning, Guitars, Heartbreak, Higher Education, Horniness, Horror, Humor, Identity, Indiana Jones References, Inspired by 1984 - George Orwell, Inspired by Music, Inspired by a Movie, Law Enforcement, Lawyers, Loneliness, Lust, Makeover, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Marriage, Melancholy, Microwaves, Modern Era, Moving Out, Musical Instruments, Musicians, Nurses, Original Character(s), Past Character Death, Phone Calls & Telephones, Pop Culture, Pregnancy, Rock and Roll, School Reunion, Science Experiments, Science Fiction Elements, Self-Esteem Issues, Sex Work, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Shopping, Singing, Single Parents, Slice of Life, Star Wars References, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Stripping, Technology, Teenage Rebellion, Teenagers, Television, Thriller, Tutoring, Undead, Veterans, Video & Computer Games, Weapons, Weddings, Werewolves, Wet Dream, Widowed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-07-24 04:01:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 19,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7493061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addledwalrus/pseuds/addledwalrus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teenagers Michael Russo and Lisa Bukowski get into all sorts of antics during the age of MTV and excess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Need You Tonight

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this story comes from the Tears for Fears song. This chapter was named after the song by INXS and takes place in 1987, though the next one will be a trip back in time to 1983, with the rest of the story steadily working it's way full circle.

A young woman strutted out onto the stage in her schoolgirl outfit while raunchy music played, to the excitement of many of the patrons present. She began to dance in time to the music, swaying her hips and flexing her legs suggestively before moving on to something more thrilling to the audience.

She flung her head backwards while steadily unbuttoning her shirt and loosening her skirt to reveal the black bra and panties she wore underneath. Once she was free of her constrictive garments, she quickly turned her head to stare seductively into the eyes of the man seated closest to her.

He shifted nervously in his seat while his companions teased him for his cowardice. Caving into the pressure and embarrassment, he forced himself to swallow his inhibitions and summon up the courage to ask the woman for a lap dance.

She answered his call without any visible hesitation and before he could reconsider his decision, she had descended the stage and was upon him, biting her lip while she straddled his body.

The man felt himself grow stiff down below as her hands caressed his chest and he resisted the urge to touch her back. He tried to focus on her face rather than her body and she smiled, as if enjoying the effect she was having on him.

His thirty minutes went by in a flash and she broke all physical contact with him, allowing a final glimpse of her cleavage and perky behind before she made her way back to the stage.

The loud voice of another patron caught her completely by surprise and she froze in place, her previous bravado giving way to a more innocent vulnerability as she turned to the young man and recognized his face.


	2. What a Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from the song by Irene Cara.

"Woo hoo!" Sharon screamed as she rose from her seat and thrust her head out of the open window while her friend Debbie drove beside her.

Someone in the next lane honked their horn and swore out loud just as she sat back down, prompting Debbie to turn to her in dismay at her behaviour.

"I'd stop doing that if I were you..."

"Oh, who cares! I bet that guy just doesn't know what fun is!"

Debbie tightened her grip on the steering wheel, as if trying to prevent anyone else from getting a hold of it.

"If anything, I think we should turn the radio up louder to piss him off!"

"You've got to be kidding me..." The more straitlaced girl uttered impatiently, continuing to accelerate as they got closer to the highway and a song by Steppenwolf began to play.

_"Honestly, why am I even friends with this idiot?"  
_

* * *

Michael entered the house at just a few minutes to four, happy that his middle school days were finally over and excited about the absence of his parents. His brain was full of possible things he could do while nobody was watching and he forced himself to quickly prioritize them before his emotions got out of control.

 _"First thing on my list: dance to a cool rock song in the living room..."_ He thought to himself as he ran upstairs to his sister's bedroom so that he could go through her music collection. He found the shelf where she stored her prized records and got to work making his selection.

_"Let's see...AC/DC, Queen, Styx...Journey..."_

After much deliberation he chose one of the newest additions in her collection, which happened to be a Billy Squier album. He ran back downstairs and placed the disc into position on the record player before setting it to play from the very first track.

It was the second song that got him more worked up however, as his movements became more free and he lost any feelings of self-consciousness he might have had earlier.

A car pulled into the driveway while he was lost in his own fun and deaf to most outside noise. It wasn't until a female voice loudly called his name that he panicked and leaped across the room just to stop the music.

"Sharon, I can explain!" He cried, turning to his older sister while the song came to a screeching stop.

"Oh, Mikey..." She sighed, only barely managing to hold in an amused laugh. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. We've all danced alone to catchy music at some point."

"Are you sure?" Michael asked sheepishly.

"Of course! Anyone who claims otherwise is either a liar, or actually dead."

"So, you're saying that everyone's done it?"

"Yeah, I thought I made it pretty clear."

"And when you say everyone, does that include Dad as well?"

"Yes, him as well, believe it or not. Just pretend you never heard this little secret, though..."

Michael stared at his sister as if he had just seen a pig flying in the sky. She grinned and he nervously turned to remove the large disc from the player with the intention of returning it back to her.


	3. Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from the song by Madonna and like the name suggests, it takes place during a long vacation.

"Man, she is hot..." A boy seated beside Michael in the theater whispered upon seeing the movie's heroine reclining in her slave costume.

"Yeah...and he's gross." Michael added as his eyes momentarily wandered to the slimy, hulking alien looming behind the woman.

"I know, such a shame..." His friend sighed, averting his gaze in disgust at the sight of the grotesque creature. "I think I'm gonna puke..."

Michael watched as the other boy hurriedly stood up and sprinted up the stairs to find the nearest bathroom, before he turned his gaze back to the female lead while she bravely confronted her captor.

* * *

Michael lay in bed feeling worn out after his long day out. Unfortunately, the summer heat combined with his still buzzing excitement and the loud conversation taking place downstairs served to keep him awake for most of the night.

He slid out of bed and quietly crept out of his room towards the top of the stairs so that he could better make out what was going on.

"You say you have a job, huh?" His father's voice boomed from the kitchen, startling him. "That won't be enough to pay the rent."

"But Dad, I'm twenty and I've finished college. Don't you think it would be awkward if I kept living here?"

A long silence followed his sister's argument during which Michael began to worry that his father would notice his presence and aggressively scold him for eavesdropping, as had happened in the past.

"...Your Mom and I will each give you a thousand dollars to start you off, but that's it. If you waste any of it, you're on your own. We won't try to rescue you this time..."

Michael decided to go back to his room while it was still safe. It wasn't until he was back beneath the sheets that he realized his sister was quite possibly leaving home for good.

Despite knowing that it was only natural for someone her age to want to move out, he couldn't help but feel as if she would be taking a large part of his happiness with her when she left.

A deep sense of melancholy overcame him while he remembered all of the times she'd guided and looked out for him in the past, back when he had been a rife target for all types of bullies and unforgiving adults.

* * *

Lisa sat beside her grandmother in the nursing home, listening intently to the elderly woman while she spoke in broken English about how she had lived through both World Wars and worked hard to support her family after leaving her native land.

The arrival of Lisa's father filled the old woman's eyes with pride and she stared in awe at the clean business suit he was wearing. Lisa stood up to join the man in helping her grandmother outside to the car.

While sitting in the back seat, Lisa found herself feeling rather alienated as the two adults in the vehicle conversed rapidly to each other in Polish. She failed to understand a single word they were saying and her heart sank at the knowledge that the language was nothing but gibberish to her ears.

* * *

"Dad..." Lisa said shyly as she entered her father's study late in the evening while he was busy pushing through paperwork.

"What is it?" He asked irritably without looking at her.

"I...I don't want to go back to that Catholic school..." She nervously began, clasping her hands in front of her defensively.

"Why? What's wrong with that place?" Her father questioned her as his voice began to grow in volume.

"Everyone there hates me, even some of the teachers..."

"And why do you think that's the case?"

Lisa paused for a minute to evaluate herself just as her father's question suggested she do. Several things came to mind, such as her ugliness, her withdrawn behavior and her inability to consistently produce good grades.

"I don't know..." She replied after much consideration.

"So you're saying if I enrolled you in another school, you would do better?"

"I would hope so..." She said in uncertainty as she recalled the time some classmates had tried to shove her head down a toilet.

"Well, I guess it can't hurt to give that option a try..." Her father sighed, finally turning to face her. "...But if nothing changes, it's back to Sacred Hearts, you hear?"

"Yes, Dad..." Lisa nodded passively before she scurried out of the room and returned to bed.


	4. Mr Roboto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from the song by Styx. Details of Michael's dream will be described in the next part.

_A young man swaggered through a busy market in Cairo, tipping his hat in reverence at all of the interesting sights he came across. A rogue gunshot sounded, interrupting the usual routine and spreading chaos as people began to run around screaming._

_The hero remained unfazed by what was unfolding around him and he quickly managed to hunt down the one whom had disturbed the peace, before confronting the eyepatched soldier with his gun at the ready in case they tried to assault him.  
_

* * *

"I didn't give you life so you could sit around playing that game all day!" Mr Russo yelled upon entering the living room and finding that his son was still playing Raiders of the Lost Ark on the Atari 2600.

"Huh?" Michael said in alarm as he dropped the controller and stared up at his impatient father. "I've only just started..."

"Just started? You haven't moved in two hours!"

"Really?"

"Yes, now get off your ass and go outside!"

Michael shuddered in fear while he switched off his game console and ran out of the house to find something else to do. The front door slammed shut as soon as he was outside and he lowered his head in defeat, before creeping around to the garage to fetch his bicycle.

* * *

Lisa returned home from dance class to find that her father still wasn't home from his meeting with some Japanese businessmen.

After changing out of her costume and into more casual clothes, she slumped on the couch with her microwaved dinner, fully prepared to pass away the evening by watching music videos until she was tired.

As always, the first few were the ones that seemed to be the most engaging, before the overuse of synthesizers and excessive special effects made everything else seem trite and repetitive until her senses could not bear anymore.

She switched off the television and ate the rest of her meal in silence before retiring upstairs to the safety of her bedroom. Posters of pop stars and celebrities adorned the walls but she remained blind to them all as she sat down to instead stare at a framed picture beside her bed.

The old photo depicted a young woman in a floral dress with her hair done in a classic 1960s style flip. Lisa smiled at the image of her late mother and began to wonder if she was somewhere up in heaven at that moment, looking beautiful while she watched over her husband and daughter with both sadness and adoration.

The sound of Mr Bukowski's voice from downstairs startled Lisa and she leaped off the bed, quickly blowing a kiss to her mother before rushing off to welcome her father home.

* * *

Michael sat alone by his bedroom window, strumming a simple song on a guitar in boredom as a result of his father confiscating his game console. The minutes passed as his brain ached for a more exciting to spend the afternoon, before it occurred to him that he still had access to the radio and a record player.

He sprung up from his position and ran straight into what used to be his sister's room while bringing the guitar with him. He removed one of her old rock records from it's cover and carefully placed it underneath the needle, letting the energetic sound of an opening guitar riff fill the air.

Michael listened hard to the rest of the track until it was over, at which he temporarily lifted the needle so that he could figure out the first few notes of the song he had just heard.

It took an hour for him to finally make some progress, only to have to put his efforts to rest when his mother loudly called him down for dinner. He put his musical instrument aside with a sigh and slowly made his way down to the dining room to join his parents.

* * *

Falling asleep was no difficult feat for Michael that evening as he lay down in his ugly pajamas while the guitar was hidden safely under the bed.

He recollected a past trip to the auto repair shop that his father owned, during which he had overheard a conversation about the threat of human workers being replaced by machines.

His imagination wasted no time in running wild as it explored the possibility of such a thing happening and he unconsciously rolled around in discomfort when a surreal dream began to play out in his mind.


	5. Sweet Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from the song by Eurythmics. Some foreshadowing lies ahead.

_Michael ran frantically through the dark city street, his sister Sharon trailing closely behind as he grew more desperate to hide away from the shadowy figure pursuing them._

_A bullet whizzed just an inch away from Sharon's head while she sped around a corner in the process of following her brother. She let out a heavy gasp of relief, only to cry out in despair mere seconds later upon realizing she and Michael had reached a dead end._

_The two renegade siblings trembled in fear as the figure finally cornered them. They turned to look at each other one final time before linking hands and staring straight ahead to face their inevitable doom._

_"We're going to die, aren't we?" Michael whispered to his sister while their would-be assailant closed in and pointed a large gun at them._

_"Just close your eyes. It's going to be-"_

_Sharon's final words of reassurance were cut short as the assailant shot her in the head without hesitation. Her neck snapped in two with a sickening crunch, before the rest of her body flopped to the ground like a rag doll._

_Michael opened his mouth to scream, but found that he was unable to produce any sound. He helplessly backed himself up against the wall and waited for a similar fate to befall him, only for his feelings of horror to grow when the enemy gave a callous shrug and lowered their weapon.  
_

_"Why...why don't you shoot me as well?!" Michael cried out in anguish while the figure bent down and picked up Sharon's dismembered head, holding it by the hair as if it were some trophy._

_"Because you're not a robot, as far as I know."  
_

_"What the hell are you talking about?! She's my sister!"_

_"She never was, actually." The figure replied in irritation. He produced a small torch and shone it on the face of his latest target, revealing a network of cogs, wires and metal plates located where the nose and mouth used to be._

_"How...?" Michael uttered in disbelief, his jaw dropping at the realization that he had so easily been fooled by some android impostor._

_"If it makes you feel any better, I'd say there's a big chance your real sister is still alive in captivity somewhere around here. If we get a move on, we might just be able to find and rescue her."_

_"Fine, you're the boss..." Michael said in defeat after a moment of consideration. "You'd better not be leading me into a trap though..."_

_"There's no need to be suspicious, you can trust me." The man tried to reassure him while they walked out of the dead end street together. "By the way, what's your name?"  
_

_"Michael..."_

_"Michael, huh? Well, I'm Agent S." The man replied, carefully removing his sunglasses and finally allowing Michael a glimpse of his dark eyes. "But you can call me Steve, if that suits you more."_

_"Steve? That's it?"_

_"Is something wrong?!" Steve said threateningly, turning around quickly with a murderous look on his face._

_"No, not at all..." Michael answered timidly while he let the other male take the lead._

* * *

"Wow, what a dream..." Michael muttered to himself as he opened his eyes to greet the morning light shining through the bedroom curtains. He forced himself to sit up despite feeling numb all over, so that he could get a good look at the time displayed on his alarm clock.

_"Twenty-two past nine! Dad's going to kill me when he comes home!"_

He threw off the covers and flung himself out of bed before half hopping towards the wardrobe to pick out his usual combination of a t-shirt, flannel shirt and tight jeans.

An unexpected phone call caught Michael by surprise while he was busy studying his reflection in a mirror and he charged downstairs to answer it. He raised the receiver and wasn't the least bit surprised when he was met with his father angrily berating him for sleeping in.

He hung up on the older man without much hesitation so that he could focus on breakfast and get out of the house as soon as possible. The phone rung again while he sat down to eat from a bowl of cereal, but he chose to ignore the sound out of an unwillingness to hear from his father again.

* * *

_"Dad?" Lisa called out fearfully as she entered the house to find the place in complete silence. She navigated her way through the dark living room with some difficulty until she had reached the other end. She noticed that the door to the kitchen was shut, though some light was clearly visible from underneath it.  
_

_She twisted the door knob and pushed her way into the other room despite her intuition telling to do the opposite. The sight of her father sprawled stiffly on the floor greeted her and she gave a frantic gasp, unaware of the figure stealthily approaching from behind._

_It wasn't until Lisa felt something sharp jab into her back followed by an unbearable burning sensation that her mind began to panic. She fell straight down beside her father as pain overwhelmed her to the point of numbness. Soft footsteps sounded not far away and Lisa rolled her eyes in the hope of getting a good look at her attacker, only for unconsciousness to take over before she could make any progress.  
_

_A woman with fair hair and cold blue eyes stepped into the room seconds later to stand triumphantly over the bodies of her victims. She smirked and reached for her walkie-talkie so that she could contact her superior.  
_

_"Hello? This is Agent B...I've taken down both targets..." She whispered into the device before awaiting a response._

_"Well done. Report to headquarters immediately and bring both hostages with you."_

* * *

"Is something wrong? You look sick..." Mr Bukowski asked in concern upon seeing his daughter enter the dining room with a worryingly pale complexion.

"I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well, that's all." Lisa insisted while her father knelt down to check the temperature of her forehead.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Don't you need to go to work?"

"Do forgive me. You're the only kid I have, so I can't help but overreact to things sometimes..." He explained with a sigh, standing up while glancing at his watch.

"Well, bye Dad..." Lisa said with a halfhearted wave as she sat down at the table and watched him depart through the front door.

"Goodbye to you too." Mr Bukowski responded, turning to look at her one last time before he left. "Remember, if any trouble happens, call me right away. Promise?"

"Promise." Lisa agreed without hesitation.

"Good."

The door slammed shut and she was left alone at the table just as she had been the previous day. The empty silence that followed made her uneasy and she found that her appetite for breakfast had long since died.

She stood up and headed back upstairs to the safety of her bedroom, where she could seek solace in her music and posters of celebrities, all the while hoping that she would one day make a worthy girlfriend for some decent young man.


	6. Beat It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some light is shed on Mr Russo's past and his motivations as a parent. The title of this chapter comes from the song by Michael Jackson.

_Rob Russo found himself alone on the neighborhood streets after a violent altercation with his father had forced him to flee the house. He trudged aimlessly from block to block until he stumbled upon a vacant park bench, the terrifying threats his father had screamed as he brandished his cane still remained fresh in his memory._

_Nothing succeeded in moving the seventeen year old from his position until the moon was high in the sky. He was just about to finally doze off after hours of emotional distress when the arrival of several leather clad hoodlums put him on edge._

_He tried with all of his willpower to avoid any eye contact with the gang members but it seemed that wasn't enough to appease them, when he'd unwittingly invaded their designated meeting spot._

_One of them approached and tugged his head forward by the hair, while another grabbed him by the arm and forced him down on the ground in a crouching position. He raised his head to stare up in terror at their leader, a hulking young man with fair hair and a malicious grin.  
_

_"Well, what have we here?" The leader taunted while he pulled a switchblade from his pocket and flicked it open. "You're a pretty boy now, but that's soon gonna change..."  
_

_Rob winced as the edge of the knife slid sharply against the bridge of his nose, before the blade was held in front of his eyes so that he could watch his own blood dripping off the tip. A whimper escaped his lips without him realizing and he instinctively began to struggle against the grip of the two boys standing behind him.  
_

_A fist collided bluntly with his face, yet Rob still tried his best not to break his defiant stare, despite his blurring vision and his captors being the only reason he was able to stay upright._

_It took a couple more punches and kicks before the leader seemed satisfied, after which the remaining delinquents were allowed to do as they pleased while they finished off their latest victim._

_"Is there anything you want to say...you piece of shit?" One voice in particular rang out upon Rob's ears, though he was unable to distinguish whom it came from through his stinging blindness. The faint sound of a zip being undone caused his stomach to turn.  
_

_"Damn...damn you..." He managed to moan before a sharp kick to the abdomen caused him to gasp desperately for air._

* * *

"Rob, what's going on?" Judith asked in concern as she sat up in bed and watched her husband get dressed for work early.

"Nothing." He answered briefly, the act of suppressing his painful memories having long since become a necessary routine.

"If you're trying to keep something secret, you know I'll always find out eventually..." She persisted, slipping out from the covers and steadily making her way to him.

Rob sighed and hastily left the bedroom before his wife could attempt to probe any further. Judith stood where she was without moving for several minutes and wondered why her husband's recent behavior was bothering her more than usual.

She walked downstairs absentmindedly some time after he had gone. The sight of the calendar rudely reminding her of what awaited later that day and she returned upstairs with a shake of the head.

 _"I guess that's one habit he's taken from his father..."_ She thought to herself as she arrived outside her son's room and knocked loudly against the door.

* * *

"So, Michael...is there anything you want to explain?" The school principal sternly asked the fifteen year old as he entered the office and took a seat.

"Am I in trouble, sir?"

"Not yet, but you will be if this escalates any further."

Michael blinked in confusion at the old man's words and sifted through his memory for reasons why he'd been summoned, though what happened next soon cleared the whole situation up.

"This was allegedly found in your locker. Is it your's?" The principal explained, placing a switchblade carefully on the desk so that it was just out of Michael's reach.

"No. My Dad gave it to me." Michael answered truthfully, despite his conscience telling him it was wrong to rat out his father.

"Could you tell me why?"

"He said I could use it to defend myself if someone attacked me."

"And what if the other person had a gun?" The principal scoffed at Michael's excuse, before hiding the knife away in a drawer.

"I don't know..."

"Well Michael, I am pleased that you've cooperated so far, but you've still broken a big school rule. Regardless of whether your father's influence rubbed off on you, I expect you to attend a special detention at seven o'clock this Saturday. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes...sir..." Michael replied in disbelief, whilst feeling as if he had just been punched in the chest. He had never expected to land in such trouble during his first week after all.

"Also, keep in mind that if you fail to show up, I may consider a possible suspension..."

* * *

The sight of a male student charging out of the principal's office and into the nearby boy's restroom, followed by the sound of vomiting, only served to make Lisa's feelings of unease grow while she waited to be called on.

When the principal finally came out and asked her to follow him, she found herself so anxious that she was unable to move. As a result, he had to actively drag her into the office by the arm and guide her to the nearest chair, before jumping straight to the subject of the physical altercation she had been involved in.

"Miss Bukowski, is there any reason you want to give me as to why you tackled and punched Cynthia in the change rooms?"

Lisa swallowed in fear as she struggled to find a rational explanation for her actions. Her inability to answer immediately tore at the principal's patience and with an irritated sigh, he decided to give her the same punishment he had assigned for the previous student.


	7. True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael, Lisa and another student find ways to pass time during detention. The title of this chapter comes from the song by Spandau Ballet.

"Lisa, it's not the end of the world just because you have a detention..." Mr Bukowski spoke up upon parking the car and noticing his daughter's worried expression.

"I know that, Dad."

"Then what's bothering you?"

"Nothing." Lisa answered with a sigh, as she grabbed her schoolbag and stepped out of the car. She slammed the door shut and turned to wave goodbye to her father before she walked up the stairs that lead into the main building.

Mr Bukowski returned the gesture with a smile, only to find something in her face and pose that reminded him of his late wife. He lowered his head and began to grip the steering wheel tightly while old memories resurfaced.

* * *

_"Excuse me, is there something I can help you with?" The secretary asked as she looked up from her typewriter and made eye contact with the man standing before her._

_George smiled sheepishly at the young woman, admiring her immaculate hairstyle and how nicely her blouse and skirt complimented each other. He took a deep breath and stood up tall, all the while feeling a little guilty for paying more attention to her than to his actual duties.  
_

_"Are you alone tonight?" He blurted out without much of a thought. Her stare widened.  
_

_"Why does that concern you?"_

_"Well, I've been watching you a lot. You do your hair and get all dressed up, but none of the guys here ever ask you out. I'm just curious as to why..."_

_"Oh, I know full well why, but it's none of your business." She snapped, turning her focus back to the page she was typing, though her eyes clearly gave away her feelings of disappointment.  
_

_"So...would you go out with someone like me?" George asked in uncertainty after a long pause.  
_

_"I'll think about it..."_

* * *

Lisa had second thoughts halfway through writing the first sentence of her essay on what she hoped to achieve. She frowned and crossed out the entire line so that she could start anew, only to be met with similar results minutes later.

She dropped her pencil in defeat and glanced around at the other students in the hope of getting some inspiration, though she knew in reality that she had to rely on her own beliefs and experiences when finding an answer.

 _"Why do I always find it so hard to write about myself?"_ She thought while looking at the boy in front of her, whom seemed to be having little difficulty completing the designated task.

Something sharp hit her in the back of the neck and she flinched, before turning around to see Ted, a delinquent senior chuckling quietly at her.

She tried her best to ignore his obnoxious behavior as she stretched down to pick up the paper plane and turn it over in her hands. She unfolded it as soon as she was able to turn her back and was overcome with disgust when she discovered a graphic drawing of a nude woman, accompanied by some of the most obscene words she knew.

She spun around and tossed it back at Ted, believing that was the best way to deal with people like him. It only encouraged him further however and he grinned as he wrote additional notes to her.

It was only after an hour that Lisa realized the senior was actually toying with her, upon which she forced herself not to respond no matter how many times he threw something to get her attention.

* * *

Michael finished his essay only two hours into the detention and found himself somewhat at a loss over how he could spend the remaining seven hours. He began to doodle absentmindedly on a blank page, his scribbles soon turning into detailed pictures.

He grew tired of drawing after the lunch break and decided to get up to explore the library, despite knowing the risk of the teacher returning to find him absent.

What he intended as just a few minutes to stretch his legs soon became a full hour caught up in the plot of a comic book he'd found by chance. His concentration was only broken by the arrival of the girl whom he recognized as being from his English class.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, hastily shoving the book back on the shelf and praying that she hadn't noticed the cover.

"I just want to get away from Ted." She replied as she crept past him and avoided eye contact.

Michael watched her while she chose a book and found her own corner to sit in. He waited until her gaze lay solely in the pages she was reading before he retrieved his comic book so that he could find out what happened next.

* * *

"Wasn't so bad, was it?" George asked in an attempt to make conversation with his daughter while he drove her home.

"It was alright." She said with a yawn before glancing through the window at the two boys still waiting for their parents to collect them.

"It's getting late. How about we stop at a restaurant on the way?"

"Sure, Dad."

Lisa straightened up in her seat as soon as they were on the main road and she couldn't help but wonder if she was properly dressed for wherever she was headed.

* * *

Sharon returned upstairs to the shared apartment where she lived after another unsatisfying day of work. The stench of cigarette smoke made her feel uneasy as she made her way straight to bed and lay down on the mattress.

She shut her eyes in the hope that sleep would take over but the noise from next door prevented it from happening. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, before reaching for her bag and taking out a bottle of sleeping pills.

She popped open the lid and placed a single tablet in her mouth, swallowing it with some difficulty before she slumped back down and waited for the effects to become apparent.


	8. Jump

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Lisa rebel against their Dads in different ways. The title of this chapter comes from the song by Van Halen.

Michael stopped outside a large building on the way home from his latest guitar lesson. He looked up at the sign hanging above the entrance before walking through the sliding doors and marveling at all of the brand new instruments around him.

He ignored the sales assistant's offer to help in lieu of exploring the part of the store that was filled with an assortment of acoustic and electric guitars. He quickly glanced down at the large case he was carrying, then up at the shiny red stratocaster hanging on the wall before him.

The thought of holding the sleek instrument in his arms and making it scream thrilled him all over, at which he forced himself to turn away so as to suppress his urges.

He asked the shop assistant about the guitar's price on the way out and the answer didn't surprise him at all, for he had known right from the first moment that such a thing was far out of his league.

There was nothing that stopped him from dreaming however, which was just what he ended up doing that night.

* * *

_"Michael..." A red headed woman in a scarlet dress crooned as she pushed open the door and strutted to the side of his bed.  
_

_"Huh? Who are you?" Michael whispered as he opened his eyes and stared up at the stunning beauty. She smiled seductively in response and knelt down so that she was at eye level.  
_

_"It's me, Kelly. I'm the woman of your dreams..."  
_

_"Really?"_

_"Yes, and I'm all your's tonight. You can play me for as long as you want. I won't resist or make a fuss, that's a promise..."_

_Michael sat up with a flustered sigh and decided it was best to just make the most of his fantasy. He leaned over and took Kelly's hand in his own while mentally preparing himself for whatever kind of love she had in store for him._

_To his surprise, her feminine curves faded and transformed right before his eyes until it was not a woman next to him, but the guitar he had admired in the music store earlier that day._

_He gasped and let go of the handle of the instrument in shock. It landed on the floor with a heavy thud that woke up both of his parents and prompted them to come rushing into his room mere moments later._

_"Goddamnit, I thought I told you not to practice this late at night! Your mother and I need to sleep as well!"  
_

_"Yes, Dad..." Michael said meekly to his father just as the door was slammed shut in anger.  
_

* * *

Michael marched into the music store that Saturday afternoon with much aplomb and all of his allowance money stashed inside his backpack. He approached the sales assistant and explained his situation while gesturing towards the red stratocaster.

The sales assistant looked at him in surprise when he expressed his wish to purchase the guitar, but they nevertheless went and retrieved the instrument so that a transaction could be made.

Michael departed the store feeling excited that the treasure was now his, but also afraid of how his father would inevitably react to his apparently rash decision.

_"...But this is your life, not your Dad's. Stop being a chicken and face the consequences like a man!"_

* * *

"Dad..." Lisa spoke up shyly as she put down her cutlery and looked up from her plate.

"What is it, Lisa?" Mr Bukowski asked without making any eye contact with his daughter.

"I...I want to improve my appearance. How do you think I should go about it?"

"Improve your appearance, you say?"

"Yes."

"Well, why don't you start by exercising more? And laying off the sweets?"

"Isn't there something else I could do?"

"No, there's no easy way around it..."

Lisa's chest heaved in defeat when she realized that he was indeed right, despite how hard it was to accept his words as the truth. However, she still couldn't help but wonder how far a decent makeover would take her, for losing weight could only do so much as improve her figure.

* * *

Lisa got up early the following morning just as her father had advised and quickly put on a tracksuit before going downstairs to have a glass of water.

She narrowly dodged the car while it reversed out of the driveway and Mr Bukowski stared out the window in stunned silence when he saw the way she was dressed. She remained oblivious to his reaction however and jogged straight down the street without looking back, determined to stop only when she was completely exhausted.

She dragged her feet back home twenty minutes later and unlocked the front door to be greeted by the fact she how had the whole house to herself. She downed another glass of water before picking out some clean clothes and having a long comfortable shower.

After a mildly successful attempt at making a warm breakfast, she grabbed her purse with the intention of spending the rest of the day shopping and getting all sorts of beauty treatments to better herself.

* * *

Mr Bukowski blinked in confusion when he returned that evening and laid eyes on his daughter while she watched television in the living room. He dropped his briefcase to the floor and crossed his arms as his surprise quickly turned to disappointment.

"Lisa, wipe that makeup off now. You look like a tramp."

"But Dad, all of the popular girls-"

"If everyone was doing drugs, would you do it too?"

"No."

"Exactly. That's my point."

Lisa stood up from the couch with an exasperated sigh before she went to the bathroom to do as her father said. He sat down in front of the television in her absence and immediately changed the channel to one that had a news program on.

 _"It must be those trashy rock stars and sluts on MTV that made her want to dress up like that. What am I to do?"_ He thought in despair while he buried his head in his hands and lamented his daughter's apparently fading innocence.


	9. Dancing in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I tried my best to make the conversation between Michael and his friend seem believable, so I hope I succeeded. This chapter takes place in mid-1984 and the title comes from the song by Bruce Springsteen.

Sharon put on a fresh layer of lipstick and a generous amount of hairspray before she departed for the local nightclub with one of her roommates. They walked along the street together side by side, under the guise of two lovers enjoying an evening out.

Nevertheless, she still heard the sound of wolf whistles while strange men passed by and she wondered whom the noises were directed towards. The reflection of her face in a lit up window caused her to furrow her eyebrows in distaste.

 _"Oh God, I look like a hooker, don't I?"_ She thought to herself as she turned to look at her male friend and the large sunglasses that covered his eyes. _  
_

They reached the entrance of the nightclub and displayed their ID's to the bouncer before he allowed them inside with some reluctance.

The music was deafening, which made it difficult for Sharon to have a conversation with anyone while she sipped from a shot glass. She joined her partner on the dance floor after a few more drinks, so that he could hold her closely by the waist as she slid her body mechanically against his.

She made eye contact with him by accident and he seemed to interpret it as a display of interest, judging by the way he pressed his lips against her's without warning, prompting her to impulsively shove him away in shock.

"What is your problem?!" He yelled in anguish, only to be ignored as she strode back to the bar to recover from the feeling of being violated.

* * *

Lisa's heart sank when her maths test was handed back to her and she saw the mediocre grade marked on the front page. She miserably made her way back to her desk while remembering how her father had threatened to send her back to Sacred Hearts if she didn't improve.

With the way things were going at the moment, she feared that his threat would come true and she would once again find herself being terrorized by cruel and unforgiving girls.

 _"I don't think I want to leave this place just yet..."_ She bemoaned, knowing that while there were still people here who liked to give her a difficult time, they weren't quite as bad as some of the classmates she used to be familiar with.

She looked up to see the boy in front of her proudly admiring his own perfect grade and a nervous glance at her intimidating teacher soon left her believing that she would much rather be helped by the former.

She waited until the boy was comfortable in his seat before she called his name and prepared to make her lofty request. He turned around to face her with a wide smile that she found difficult to read, though she forced herself to continue speaking regardless.

"...do you think you could help me with questions sometimes? I'm not doing so well in this class..."

"Uh, sure..." He replied uneasily as his smile faded and he averted his eyes. "You can meet me during lunch or after school if you really need it..."

"Thanks. I'll wait by your locker."

The boy looked away from her as soon as the bell rang and she wondered if she had made a decent enough impression upon him.

* * *

"Gee, I can't believe she actually talked to you. What did she say?" Christopher asked while he sat opposite Michael in the cafeteria.

"Not much. She wants help with maths, apparently..."

"Well, a chance is still a chance, no matter what you're doing with her."

"What?" Michael said in surprise, putting down his sandwich and trying to comprehend his friend's words.

"Didn't you say that she was cute just yesterday?"

"Yeah, but we were joking with each other, remember? If you ask me, she's only popular because her Dad has a portable phone..."

"I guess it's true then, that money wins people over just as much as beauty. It's a greedy world, isn't it?"

Michael stared at the other boy in amusement as he took a bite from his sandwich. He waited until he had swallowed to continue their conversation.

"It sure is. By the way, how's your cousin?"

"You have to tell me about your sister first. Is she still hot?" Christopher countered with a smirk as he tried to avoid discussing his own family members.

"Why do you want to know?" Michael asked in suspicion. The fact that his friend would even find Sharon sexually attractive disturbed him and he briefly considered the possibility of strangling the other boy.

Fortunately, Christopher sensed that he had crossed a line and was able to save the situation by turning to a more innocent subject.

"Have you heard about that party Cynthia is throwing?"

"Nope."

"Well, I'm going."

"Oh, really? Who invited you?"

"No one."

"You're crazy, you know that?"

"Geez Michael, it's not like someone's going to be checking every single person there, so what's the harm?"

"I still think you're gonna end up in big trouble..."

"Suit yourself then. While I'm dancing, you can stay at home doing pointless maths problems."

"You son of a bitch..."

* * *

Sharon couldn't bring herself to say anything else to her male friend for the rest of the night, even after he'd finally taken the hint and apologized for his misconduct.

His presence behind her as they returned to the apartment made her feel insecure, so she stepped aside and allowed him to enter first. She watched him shamelessly take off his t-shirt and looked away while at a loss as to what was coming over her.

She'd been with plenty of other boys and being kissed by a stranger had never bothered her as much as it did that night. It perplexed her to say the least as to why things were suddenly different.

She began to think back to the past in the hope that she could find an answer there. It wasn't long before she remembered the first time she'd had feelings for someone, when she was about sixteen and working at a hardware store.

"Steve..." She muttered out loud without realizing.

Her roommate turned to stare at her in confusion, but she was indifferent to his presence as she thought about how casually Steve had rejected her.


	10. Run to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr Bukowski displays rather poor judgement when it comes to approving of Lisa's friends. Meanwhile, Michael's time-consuming hobby causes him to forget something important.
> 
> The title of this chapter comes from the song by Bryan Adams.

"That's a nice woman you got there. Is she your wife or your girlfriend?"

"Neither." Steve replied, instinctively jerking his hand out to grab the glass as soon as the bartender had slid it across the bench.

"Your sister then? Though you don't look at all like her..."

"We're old friends. I've known her since I was about seven."

"So, I guess it's the Westermarck effect at work, huh?"

"The what?"

"Nevermind..." The bartender dismissed Steve's words with a sigh, as he instead directed his gaze to the no-nonsense woman emerging from the ladies' room and thought about how he would talk to her.

Steve followed the bartender's lead and turned to look at his friend Barbara, while also realizing how foolish it was to judge situations solely by the way they appeared on the surface.

 _"If Karen were here now, she'd definitely think I was cheating on her..."_ He guiltily mused to himself as he considered the idea of his partner spending the whole night waiting fruitlessly for him to come home.

He found himself unable to defeat his own conscience, so he let Barbara know that he was leaving ten minutes later, before hurrying outside to his car and driving away to be with the woman he loved.

* * *

Lisa stared at her heavily made up face and teased hair in the mirror while a couple of girls squealed in excitement behind her. She failed to see the reason they were making such noises however, for she quite frankly believed they had made her look even more hideous.

"We've done a great job, don't you think, Cindy?"

"Yeah, now she actually looks like a girl!"

She cringed as the two lilac clad blondes began to giggle and congratulated themselves on a makeover well done, before long manicured nails dug into her palm and pulled her up off the bedroom floor.

"Wait, where are we going?!" She frantically asked as Cynthia dragged her along through the hall.

"Shopping, duh..." The taller girl replied without turning around.

It was just as well that Lisa managed to yank her hand free before they reached the stairs. She guessed that she would otherwise have been scraped against the steps like some dog's toy, so she uttered a prayer of gratitude in her mind while firing an uncertain glance at her father.

Mr Bukowski waved goodbye to her in indifference as she followed her new friends outside and the front door swung shut. He placed his newspaper down once the house was silent and began to mull over the worthiness of his daughter's companions.

_"Well, they seemed nice enough. I guess it would do her good to spend some time under their influence..."_

* * *

"So, what did you do with Blaine last night? Did you go all the way?"

"Yeah, we totally did." Cynthia proclaimed proudly while carefully applying mascara. "Kissing, touching, you name it..."

Lisa stood aimlessly in the bathroom corner, waiting impatiently and desperately hoping that the racy conversation would end soon. Unfortunately, Stacey seemed to notice her discomfort and began to probe further into Cynthia's love life, as if she were trying to exacerbate her feelings of unease.

"So, if you did it all, you must have seen his junk as well. What did it look like?"

"Oh my god, Stacey!" Cynthia cried out in horror, jerking her arm out to slap the other girl on the wrist. "You know I'm not _that_ slutty!"

"Yeah, you wish..." Stacey whispered with a roll of her eyes before she turned back to Lisa in curiosity.

"Hey Buttkowski, you ever been with a boy?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I...I went too an all girls' school."

"Then you must be filled with all kinds of urges, right? I bet you've never seen so many boys in your life!"

"Actually, I've-"

"Can you believe it? Buttkowski here says she's never had a boyfriend before." Stacey interrupted, directing her attention once again to Cynthia.

Cynthia raised her eyebrows in disbelief before she too turned to stare at Lisa. Lisa swallowed in fear as the two pairs of eyes drilled into her and quietly judged her for several seconds.

"You want to know something, Lisa?" Cynthia finally relented while using her proper name for the first time that day. "If I were you, I wouldn't want to end high school still a virgin. It's just weird, if you know what I mean..."

Lisa nodded meekly in understanding just as the school bell began to ring, filling her with relief that the humiliation was finally over.

A daring thought entered her mind while she carried her maths textbook and remembered Cynthia's words of warning.

* * *

Michael plugged his guitar in as soon as he was in the garage and after a few minutes of warming up, he moved on to more serious playing while trying to learn all of the notes to a song by heart.

The dim light proved to be deceiving as he lost track of time and kept playing until his fingers began to chafe. He placed his instrument down and made sure the power was completely off before he returned to the main part of the house.

He sat down soon after to eat dinner, followed by an hour watching MTV until once particular music video caught his interest more than the others. This rock star's girl for some reason reminded him of a classmate whom had asked him out on the last day of school. He figured it was something about the eyes...

"Crap..." He muttered in horror upon realizing he had completely forgotten to meet Lisa earlier that afternoon, having instead been more focused on improving his skills on the guitar.


	11. Thriller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can you distinguish dreams from reality? The title of this chapter comes from the song by Michael Jackson.

"Hi...I'm Michael, one of Lisa's friends from school. Is she home?"

"Yes, she is. Come on in."

Mr Bukowski stepped aside to let the dark haired boy enter and a strong feeling of familiarity swept over him when he looked into the teenager's eyes. The source of the sensation eluded him for quite some time, though it finally became clear when he saw his daughter descending the stairs by the boy's side.

Memories of his days of delinquency flooded his mind and for a split second, he could have sworn it was the face of Lisa's classmate that he had disfigured almost thirty years before, while the other members of his gang cheered him on.

"Wait..." He managed to say to his daughter before she stepped out of the front door. She spun around and took a step back towards him.

"What is it, Dad?"

"Take the cellphone before you go, in case there's some trouble."

"Sure..." Lisa muttered after a moment of stunned silence.

* * *

"Well, this sucks..." Christopher moaned from the driver's seat as he twisted the key and started the engine.

"What sucks?" Lisa asked in surprise while she buckled her seat belt and tried to make herself comfortable. She noticed Michael looking at her strangely when she did so, but she shrugged it off as him simply not understanding the importance of taking additional safety precautions.

"We were supposed to see Ghostbusters, but all my friend could get was tickets to Gremlins."

"Look, I really tried, alright? I'm sorry..."

"Never mind. I guess I'll just have to make myself enjoy the movie as best as I can."

Lisa leaned back in her seat as the car sped up, feeling glad that the two boys had solved their dispute peacefully instead of resorting to violence and threats. All that she could hope for now was for them to maintain their good behaviour for the rest of the night, rather than fall victim to the sort of depravity her father had been warning her about recently.

* * *

"That...that was better than I expected..."

"Yeah, it was actually kind of creepy..." Michael added while he sat beside Christopher. "Imagine those creatures terrorizing _this_ town..."

"Oh god..." Christopher groaned in fear, prompting his two passengers to simultaneously straighten up.

"What is it?"

"It's the engine, I think it's dying."

"Gremlins..."

"That really isn't funny, Mike..."

As if on cue, a loud bang sounded from the back of the vehicle before it abruptly stopped. The two boys were thrown forward, though they were fortunately flung back into their seats just inches short of having their heads collide against the windscreen.

Michael turned to check on Lisa as soon as he was breathing regularly again and he felt relieved when she smiled back in reassurance, gesturing to her seat belt while she did so.

Christopher wasted no time in getting out of the car and running a hand through his hair in despair upon seeing just how damaged the engine really was. He took a moment to regain his composure before he went back around and opened the doors so that Michael and Lisa could come out as well.

"So, what do we do now?" Michael asked after he'd also had a good look at the back of the car.

"I can call someone..." Lisa replied shyly as she held her Dad's cellphone up with some difficulty.

"Well, thank God for technology..." Christopher whispered in awe while he watched her dial a number on the sturdy device.

One question still remained on Michael's mind however and he turned to his friend at a loss as to what they could do while they waited. Fortunately, Christopher seemed to be able to read his thoughts and was quick to liven up the situation by offering to tell a horror story.

"Once upon a time..." He began, glancing quickly at Michael to make sure the other boy was listening. "...there was a pretty girl called Barbara. She had a boyfriend named Kevin whom she loved very much, even though he was an ugly nerd. Anyway, they went to a cabin in the woods so that they could screw each other without being disturbed."

"Not this story again..."

"Yeah, but this is Lisa's first time. Don't ruin it for her. Now, where was I? Oh right...they decided to have a picnic the next morning in a nice, peaceful clearing. What they had no idea about however, was that the spot they'd picked happened to be near an old Indian burial ground."

Lisa finished calling her father and lowered the cellphone as she began to listen attentively to Christopher's tale.

"Well, the hours passed by and Barbara got drowsy, so she lay down on the picnic rug to have a nap. Kevin eventually got tired of watching her sleep and he went off to explore the surrounding area, accidentally desecrating the burial site while he did so."

"How does one do such a thing by accident?" Lisa asked in curiosity.

"Who knows? I guess he kicked some stones out of place without realizing. But anyway, Barbara woke up a few hours later to find not a single trace of her boyfriend around. She spent a while looking for him, but when he was nowhere to be seen, she assumed he had gone back to the cabin without her..."

* * *

"...And just when she thought the nightmare was finally over, the severed hand suddenly flew across the room and clasped itself tightly around her neck, choking her until the whole world grew dark..."

Christopher finished the story with an accomplished smile on his face and he turned to Lisa to observe her reaction. She simply stared ahead speechlessly as if blind to his presence and he tried nudging her shoulder gently.

She fidgeted and straightened herself up in response, before a content smile appeared on her face.

"That's my Dad's car..." She said, pointing in the distance at a pair of oncoming headlights.

The expensive white vehicle came to a stop behind them and Lisa slowly made her way to one of the back doors, beckoning for the two boys to follow her. As soon as Michael and Christopher could attempt to enter the car however, Mr Bukowski slammed his foot on the accelerator without warning, prompting a confused cry from Lisa.

"Dad, what about them?!" She shouted as she leaned forward in her seat.

"They're two boys. They can find their own way home." Mr Bukowski replied tersely.

Lisa gave a loud sigh at her father's apparent callous action, before she propped herself up to get one last look at the boys while they waved frantically in desperation and shock.

_"Sorry, guys. I'll find a way to make it up to you both, I promise..."_

* * *

"I can't believe it. Her Dad must be insane to leave us out here like this..." Christopher groaned while he trudged along the road by Michael's side.

"Maybe there's a payphone somewhere around here. Do you have any spare change?"

"No. How about you?"

"I only have five cents..."

Christopher said nothing in reply and instead stared straight up at the night sky. Michael did the same out of curiosity, only to feel considerable unease when he saw dark clouds clearing to reveal a perfectly round moon.

"Michael, you need to go away..." Christopher suddenly said in a deep voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Leave me alone. Run as far away from me as you can. It won't be safe-"

The sound of bones crunching interrupted Christopher's words and filled Michael with nausea. He took a step back in horror as he watched his friend's limbs twist into positions that he swore weren't humanly possible. As if that wasn't enough however, he also thought he could see tiny quivering hairs springing up all over the other boy's body.

It was only until Christopher's t-shirt and jeans fell to the ground in tatters, that Michael found the willpower to run for his life. Unfortunately, his hesitation had already served to seal his doom, for the furry beast was upon him within seconds.

He gave an inhuman shriek of agony as sharp claws and teeth dug deep into his flesh and tore his body apart piece by piece.

* * *

Lisa couldn't stop thinking about her two male classmates while she brushed her teeth and got ready for bed. She tiptoed out of the bathroom once she was finished and prepared to head to her room, though a deafening crash from downstairs startled her.

She crept down the steps to investigate despite reason telling her to hide in the refuge of her bedroom. The absence of her father didn't surprise her, though the sound of the front door being shaken violently did.

"Who's there?" She asked as she approached cautiously.

"Lisa...Lisa..." A guttural voice groaned from right behind the door. "...it's your mother Jeanette. Let me in so I can finally see you..."

For a moment, Lisa really did consider opening the door so that she could also get a good look at her mother. However, she remembered her grandmother's account about how the woman had died in a tragic car accident, meaning that the body must have looked terrible by the time of the funeral.

She backed away from the door and fled upstairs as she imagined the additional decay that fifteen years in a coffin would have brought about.

Once she was lying in bed, she uttered a silent prayer to herself in panic, before reaching out and placing her mother's photograph face down as a precautionary measure.


	12. Glory Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The parents rather than the children are the focus of this chapter. The title comes from the song by Bruce Springsteen.

_"Are you feeling alright?"_

_"Huh?"_

_Rob blinked twice to clear his vision before he fixed his eyes on the plain faced girl standing beside his bed. He swallowed in paranoia as he studied her neutral expression and the clean white gown she was wearing.  
_

_"My name's Judith. I'm a volunteer here..." She said reassuringly while she adjusted the height of the bed and pushed a table towards him._

_"How did I end up here?" Rob asked as he forced himself into a sitting position, only for Judith to urge him to lie back down._

_"Since those thugs beat you up pretty badly, the head nurse told us you were to avoid any vigorous activity."_

_"So...when can I get out of here?"_

_"As soon as she's sure you haven't sustained any internal injuries...by the way, your parents stopped by earlier."_

_"Really? What did they say?"_

_"I didn't hear everything, but I know your Dad was apologizing for hitting you or something..."_

_"You mean, he actually feels bad for me?"_

_"Well, it certainly seemed that way..."_

_Rob let his head sink down into his pillow at the news. He felt a lot more at ease now that the threat of getting beaten up by his father was gone, though a inkling of fear that the peace would only be temporary still remained._

_"I think I love you..." He muttered while she stood up to go see another patient._

_"No, you don't." She replied teasingly before drawing the curtain and disappearing from his view._

* * *

Judith was distracted from her late night recollections by the sound of the doorbell ringing. She raised her head while rubbing her exhausted eyes, before she quickly stood up to answer the call.

Just as expected, she was met with the sight of her son Michael, though it filled her with concern when she noticed him shivering slightly as he entered the house.

"So, how was the movie?" She asked after guiding him to the table and offering to make some hot chocolate.

"It was great." He answered tersely without making eye contact with her.

"Is something bothering you?"

"No..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Judith gave a sigh as she placed a mug down and leaned against the bench while waiting for the kettle to boil. She watched her son carefully through the corner of her eye for a sign that he was hiding some problem he didn't want her to know.

It occurred to her while she placed the warm drink down before him, that he was in reality more like his father than she liked to believe. Sharon on the other hand, despite her outwardly rebellious behaviour, had often proved herself to be quite a sensible and caring young woman when in private.

 _"The best I can hope for is that he doesn't ruin his life too quickly..."_ She thought to herself in dread as he finished his hot chocolate and retreated upstairs to the privacy of his room.

* * *

Any hopes of having a relaxing couple of drinks after a stressful day were soon extinguished, when a vaguely familiar voice called out to Mr Bukowski and referred to him by his first name.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded to know as a straggly and unkempt man sat down beside him.

"Don't you recognize me? I'm Ross...we used to hang out together, remember?"

"Oh..." Mr Bukowski sighed, freezing as he remembered his adolescence and how Ross had been one of the first boys he'd recruited for his gang.

"So, I heard that you were getting married last time I saw you. How's your wife now? Are you still together?"

Mr Bukowski's eyes widened in shock at the harsh reality of the question that had been posed to him. He'd found that it was often helpful to simply pretend he'd never known Jeanette in the first place, so the sudden reminder of her untimely passing caused him to feel numb all over.

"I guess you don't want to answer my question, huh? Well, what if I talked about my troubles first? Would that be easier?"

"Shut up...just shut up..."

"What?"

"You can go fuck yourself, alright? Just leave me alone..." Mr Bukowski said bitterly, rising wearily from his seat and tossing his unfinished drink aside.

He strode out of the bar and didn't dare to look back at the stunned face of his former classmate. He wasted no time in getting into his car and inserting the keys into the ignition, only to find that he couldn't bring himself to turn on the engine and begin driving.

He eventually released his hands from the steering wheel and slumped back in his seat, letting grief overwhelm him for the first time in years as tears rolled down his face and it became difficult to breathe.


	13. Weird Science

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place at some indefinite point in 1985. The title comes from the song by Oingo Boingo.

_"I...I can't believe it. I actually have clear skin!"_

Lisa departed the house in high spirits and boarded the school bus feeling content that she had finally found a way to manage her complexion. It was now simply a matter of keeping up the hard work so that the other girls would continue to hold respect towards her.

Her sense of accomplishment began to fade during science however, when she realized that she still hadn't decided what she wanted to investigate for a project that was due in just under a fortnight.

She strutted straight to her locker once the period was over and such were her feelings of urgency that she failed to say anything in reply to Michael when he greeted her as he had often done over the past year.

She joined the other popular girls soon after in the cafeteria and considered asking them for ideas, though she changed her mind when they began gossiping once again about boys, fashion and whichever couple had broken up the week before.

* * *

_"Michael, you're overthinking things. Maybe she just didn't want to look bad in front of her friends."_

Christopher's words of reassurance sprang up again in Michael's mind while he put on a pair of headphones and made sure his sheet of glass was in the right place.

He shrugged away all thoughts of Lisa and her vapid female friends as soon as he picked up his guitar and checked that the controls on the amplifier were set to their maximum levels, before playing the highest note he knew.

Several large cracks appeared at once on the glass, followed by the whole thing disintegrating in a matter of seconds. Michael looked down at the result of his little experiment with a grin of satisfaction as he readjusted the amplifier and unplugged his instrument.

His heart sank when he walked out of the garage and saw that he had also succeeded in putting a crack on his Dad's windscreen.

_"Shit...how am I going to cover this one up?!"_

* * *

_"Aw hell, I can't put this off forever..."_

Christopher tossed aside his Dad's issue of Playboy in lieu of going out to the shed for a screwdriver. When he had found one, he hurried upstairs to the room where the computer was kept so that he could get to work.

It took at least an hour of twisting and patience before he finally managed to separate the screen from the rest of the machine. He took several deep breaths as he carefully placed it down on the table and began sketching what he saw on a piece of paper.

He pushed aside his drawing once he was satisfied with how it had turned out and picked up the screen with the intention of pushing it back in place.

It took a lot of effort, but he eventually managed to get it to the point where it showed little sign that it would fall off again. He sighed in relief as he grabbed his pencil, paper and the screwdriver while having a strong feeling his parents wouldn't notice much of a difference.

_"Now, I just need to hit the library so I can get the facts to back this up..."_

* * *

An idea came to Lisa while she was running on the treadmill and thinking about how much fat she might have burned off. She forced the machine to a slow stop before running to the kitchen pantry, wondering as she opened the door why she had failed to notice something that was always right in front of her.

She picked out an unopened box of cookies first and studied the list of ingredients while scribbling them down on a scrap of paper. She found a bottle of lemonade afterwards and did the same with it, continuing on to the next thing she saw until she was certain she had performed a thorough investigation of the pantry.

"Alright, here comes the messy part..." She said to herself as she lit a fire on the stove and filled a spare pot with the cookies she'd found earlier.

It wasn't long before smoke was floating out of the pot and the smell of burning sugar filled the kitchen. She hastily turned off the fire and consulted the special formula described in the book she'd borrowed, before turning her attention to what was left of the cookies.

She spent the next hour so absorbed in her work that she failed to hear her father pulling into the driveway and striding all the way up to the front door.

"What the hell is going on here?" He asked impatiently upon entering the kitchen and catching her by surprise. She dropped her thermometer and spun around while trying her best to cover up the still smoking pot.

"Just a science project I'm doing for school..." She sheepishly explained in the hope that he would let the matter slide.

"Fair enough. As long as you don't burn this house down, I guess it's fine..."

"Really?"

"Do I have to repeat myself?"

"No..."

Mr Bukowski rolled his eyes in response and retired upstairs, once again leaving Lisa to her own devices. She tried to focus again on her attempt to take the temperature of the burned cookies, only to find herself riddled with doubt over what she was doing.

_"Then again, I can't turn back now. I've already wasted five dollars..."_


	14. Walk of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisa considers trying out for the cheerleading team and Michael attempts his hand at busking. Meanwhile, Steve attends the wedding of a close friend. 
> 
> The title of this chapter comes from the song by Dire Straits.

Steve felt both pride and sadness when he watched his childhood friend walk down the aisle, looking the best she'd ever been over the past five years. He knew it went without saying that all of the attention was on her and not her father, as he felt Karen's hand clasp tightly against his own.

He turned to face her and she gave him the expectant look that he had become all too familiar with lately. He'd seen the same expression on her face when they'd attended Gloria's wedding the previous year and it was beginning to make him feel insecure about the relationship he had with her. He turned his gaze back to Barbara while she and her future husband said their vows before the priest gave them permission to kiss.

 _"I guess this is also how it feels to lose your sister to another man..."_ He mused later while helping himself to some extra cake.

The sound of women squealing in excitement made him shake his head in disappointment, as he tried to ponder how anyone could have ever thought bouquet tossing was a good idea.

"Girls...they never really grow up, do they?" A curly haired teenager remarked with a shrug from the opposite side of the table.

It took Steve a few moments to recognize the boy as a cousin of Barbara's whom he had helped babysit once at the age of seventeen. He found it hard to believe that so much time had passed and that the boy was now almost a man, while his own thirtieth birthday was less than three years away.

He turned around just in time to see Karen catching the bouquet and his heart sank.

* * *

"Blaine, over here!" Cynthia yelled while waving wildly to get the attention of her athletic boyfriend.

The well-built jock acknowledged her presence with a quick wink and smile before drawing his attention back to training with the rest of the football team. Cynthia remained standing and blew a kiss to him regardless, which drew a bitter look from another girl called Alison.

"You know, I'm thinking of becoming a cheerleader so we'll be more compatible..." Cynthia explained with a blissful sigh upon sitting back down with the other girls.

"Great idea! Good luck with it!" The others except for Alison piped in an attempt to sound encouraging.

The freckled newcomer rolled her eyes and waited until the other girls were focused on the game before she changed positions to sit beside Lisa.

"If there's anyone who should try out for the team, it's you..." She said quietly after a moment of consideration.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Yeah...who else could I be looking at?"

"Why do you think that?"

"Huh? Oh, I saw you at the party last week. You're not that bad a dancer...well, you're better than Cindy anyway..."

"Do you really mean it?" Lisa asked in surprise and disbelief at the other girl's words.

"Well, I am new to this group. Why would I choose now to be dishonest?"

Lisa's eyes darted momentarily to Cynthia and the rest of the girls as she considered Alison's advice.

"I guess I'll give it a try...but if all fails, I'll make you pay for being insincere. Mark my words." She replied while doing her best to channel the so-called 'Queen Bee' of the group.

"Gamble accepted."

* * *

Steve sighed in annoyance upon studying the windshield crack that his employer had asked him to fix by the end of the shift. He reluctantly grabbed the necessary equipment and got to work despite knowing that he wouldn't be paid anything extra for this additional trouble.

 _"If you have to take it up with someone, go to my son. He's the one who broke it, not me..."_ The boss' words echoed in his mind while he worked with gritted teeth.

Fortunately, the tune of a classic rock song playing on the nearby radio quickly made him feel more at ease, allowing him to focus calmly on the task and figure out the best option.

Unbeknownst to him however, a teenage boy was standing alone on a street corner elsewhere in town playing an acoustic guitar to entertain passersby.

Michael faked a smile as he played the final notes to some old sixties song his Dad had asked him to learn. A middle aged man with worn clothing and long untidy hair tossed a couple of coins into the guitar case as he walked past.

"Thanks!" Michael called out to the man, though they ignored him and continued on their way as if they needed to get somewhere quickly.

 _"At this rate, I'll never be able to pay for the damage..."_ He thought to himself when five minutes passed without anyone new coming to hear him play.


	15. Money For Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisa, Michael and Christopher get pumped for junior prom. Elsewhere, Steve and Karen get to work installing furniture and appliances in their new house. The title of this chapter also comes from a song by Dire Straits.

"Remember the time I said rock was dying?"

"What of it?"

"I was wrong." Steve admitted as he turned the steering wheel and parked outside the drab but vacant house.

"Well, I'm glad that your hope in music has been restored..."

"No, that's not what I mean. It's still alive alright, but it's been enslaved. By MTV."

Karen stared at her boyfriend speechlessly and wondered if he'd lost his mind. It seemed that his mental state had been steadily declining ever since Barbara's wedding and he was now at the point of suspecting a conspiracy behind everything, no matter how improbable it was.

 _"It's not his fault. Both of his parents are drug-addicted burnouts, so of course it would rub off on him a little. Right?"_ She thought to herself, trying to find a rational explanation while she got out of the car and made her way to the trunk to retrieve a microwave.

Steve remained in his seat as he switched off the radio and pulled the keys out of the ignition.

"Bloody Phil Collins..."

* * *

"So, have you heard back from them yet?" Alison asked when Lisa emerged from the toilet cubicle and joined her at the sinks.

"Do you really want to know?" Lisa countered while she dried her hands and put on a coat of lipstick that she hoped would compliment the sweater she wore.

"You got in, didn't you?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You're trying to be cool and casual, but I can sense your excitement. If they hadn't accepted you, you would have told me straight away instead of beating around the bush."

"Are you trying to play psychologist?"

"Not really. I'm just making guesses based on what I've observed from your behavior so far."

"Fine, I am on the team now, if that makes you happy..."

Cynthia stormed into the bathroom as if on cue and came to a stop, crossing her arms bitterly while her eyes fell specifically on Lisa.

"Buttkowski, don't think you're special just because you're a cheerleader. I have a hot boyfriend, while you've never even been kissed! Suck on that!"

The blonde charged back out the door as soon as her short outburst was finished. Lisa turned to glare at Alison in distrust.

"How many people did you tell?"

"I didn't tell anyone..."

"Well, I don't believe you." She said with a sigh, before zipping her bag shut and leaving Alison alone in the bathroom.

* * *

Michael and his friend walked through the hall together towards the cafeteria. He passed a noticeboard on the way, only to take a hasty step back when something caught his interest.

"Guitarist wanted..." He read out loud as his eyes widened. "...we are also looking for people who can play the drums, piano or keyboard..."

He reached the bottom of the page, which detailed that potential candidates were to see Shirley in the music room at lunch time for an audition. A hand suddenly landing on his shoulder made him jump as he spun around and reflexively knocked the other person in the face.

"What...what was that for?!" Christopher choked as he backed away to nurse his sore nose. "I just wanted to know why you weren't joining me..."

"Sorry..." Michael apologized in embarrassment upon realizing that several students were now staring at him in disbelief. "...I am going to meet you later, don't get me wrong. It's just that I need to go to the music room first."

"The music room? Did you forget your guitar again?"

"No. This time, it's something different."

* * *

A badly timed phone call forced Lisa to prematurely end her attempt to learn a difficult cheerleading routine as she stormed into her Dad's room to answer it. She picked up the receiver and was instantly greeted by a man with a strong accent not unlike the one grandmother had when she spoke English.

"Can I help you?" She asked him in response, but he seemed to ignore her in favor of going off on some panicked and unintelligible rant. She considered hanging up on the stranger, however the unexpected intrusion of her father caught her off-guard and her curiosity grew.

She found it surreal how as soon as her Dad began to speak, the other man immediately calmed down and became much more coherent in his responses as he discussed some sort of business deal with her father.

Lisa's conscience took over and she felt guilty for eavesdropping on what was probably supposed to be a confidential call. She put the receiver down and stepped quietly back to her own room to resume practice.

* * *

"Excellently played, Michael. I'm proud to say that you'll be playing guitar at the junior prom this year."

Michael took a moment to smile and bask in his success, before the implication of the words set in and he realized what he would be sacrificing.

"Wait, junior prom?!" He yelled in a panic, almost dropping his guitar as he did so.

"Yes, I thought I wrote it on the flyers." Shirley said matter-of-factly, without batting an eye in hesitation.

"No, you didn't..."

"Really? Well, I guess I forgot, which is just too bad. I can always ask the next student on the list though, if you're not happy-"

"Wait..." Michael clumsily interrupted the teacher without thinking.

"Do you have something else to say?"

"Never mind, I think I can do it. What songs do you want me to play?"

"That's the spirit..."

A subtle smile formed on the woman's face as she got up from her piano stool and made her way to a small cupboard near her desk. She pulled out a box and approached him again.

"I have some cassette tapes here with songs by The Police, Billy Joel and Paul Young. You can take them home and have a listen to get a good feel of the music."

"Thanks, Miss..." He said as she handed the box to him and he tried not to drop it.

"By the way, I'll provide sheet music next week, so don't you worry about not knowing the notes yet..."

* * *

 _"Whew...what a day..."_ Karen said with a sigh while she let her long hair down and brushed it through with an old comb. She turned to stare at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and found herself already missing the curling iron she used to own.

_"It was nice to go out with my hair in waves. Now all I ever do is tie it up so it won't get caught in some cupboard door..."_

She spied Steve leaning against the side of the doorway and she began to chat to him without turning around.

"...Imagine how easy it would be if we could just pay someone else to do all this for us..."

"Yeah, that's a great idea..." He replied with a lazy shrug, standing upright so that his back no longer rested on the door frame. "Leaving complete strangers in charge of your house while they drain all of your hard earned money..."

"You know what?" Karen snapped, letting her tangled hair drop again with a sigh of exasperation. "Forget I ever said that..."

* * *

"Stop! Stop!" Shirley cried out at the top of her lungs while waving her hands around widely to get the band's attention. The drummer and the keyboard player followed her order in quick succession, though Michael took a little longer to register her words over the loudness of his instrument.

"Is something wrong?" He asked in confusion once he'd finally caught on to the disappointed look on the teacher's face.

"No, Michael, there's nothing wrong. With your playing, that is."

"Then what's going on?"

A short silence followed during which Shirley tapped her foot in annoyance and gave several loud sighs to let out her frustration, before she faced the three boys again.

"Why aren't you singing, Michael?" She inquired in a disconcertingly calm manner.

"I-I'm supposed to sing?"

"Yes. Didn't I tell you that when you started? Why do you think I let you borrow the tapes?"

"But Miss, I don't know all of the words-"

"Then just sing the parts you do know! It can't be that hard!"

Michael swallowed nervously and awaited her signal for him to start over. He began to play as soon as she gave the word and he tried to mouth what little he remembered of the song's lyrics, only to find that he could barely hear himself over the amplified noise.

* * *

"So, Michael's not here?" Lisa asked shyly as she sat down beside Christopher during an after-school study session.

"No, he has to attend band practice now." He answered just loudly enough so that the teacher wouldn't hear.

"Well, in that case..." Lisa whispered to herself while ripping the corner off a blank page in her exercise book and hurriedly scribbling something on it.

She slipped her note across the table to Christopher and he snatched it in his hand before he could be caught. His eyes widened in shock when he straightened the piece of paper out and saw the message she'd written.

_Will you go to junior prom with me? I don't have anyone else to ask..._


	16. The Final Countdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place during both 1985 and 1986, though the events don't necessarily happen in chronological order. The title comes from the song by Europe.

"I told you we couldn't trust that thing." Steve stated somewhat condescendingly while he helped Karen clean the remnants of dinner off the floor and kitchen bench.

Karen took a deep breath and tried not to be bothered by his words while she emptied the contents of the dustpan into the bin. She took a quick glance at the broken microwave and wondered it there was a more logical explanation as to why the appliance had exploded so suddenly.

Whatever had gone wrong, this incident was one of the few times her boyfriend's fears weren't completely unfounded, so she guessed it would be better to let things slide for once.

"I'll go get some takeout..." She muttered, grabbing the car keys and leaving the kitchen before he could protest.

* * *

Michael packed up his instrument along with the rest of the band while he continued to watch couples leaving the gymnasium. His eyes eventually fixed on Lisa holding hands with and standing a little too close to his best friend for him to feel comfortable.

She gave a hesitant glance behind her before Christopher led her outside and Michael wanted to believe that the look was directed towards him, despite it being just as likely she was paying attention at some other boy still in the building.

It was strange how he hadn't thought much of her until news of the upcoming junior prom spread around the school. He jogged his memory in the hope of finding out why he suddenly cared so much and sure enough, he recalled how plain looking she had been when he first met her at that detention back in tenth grade.

It was clear that she had managed to change herself for the better during her time at high school, though he wasn't sure if the same could be said about him.

The possibility of drawing her away from Christopher ran through his mind, before he was interrupted by the arrival of a lone brunette.

"Hi, can I have your number? My name's Becky."

Michael observed the excited grin on her face and ignored the chuckles of the two boys behind him as he considered her request.

"Sure. Do you have a pen and paper?" He asked after reaching the conclusion that he was lucky to even be receiving such attention from a girl.

"Of course!"

"So, how was I?"

"Well... you're cute, but I think you should just stick to guitar..."

"Fair enough." Michael said with a sigh, handing the piece of paper back to her. She grabbed it and ran steadily outside in her heels, taking care not to step on anything slippery as she left.

_"I take it back. I guess I have changed..."_

* * *

"I''ve been called to work a night shift at the hospital and your Dad will be home late tonight, so take good care of yourself and the house while we're away."

"What's Dad doing?"

"He's going to a veterans meeting after work."

"Oh, that..."

"Also, don't answer the door under any circumstances if you're not sure who's outside."

"Mum, I won't..."

"That's good to hear."

The front door was shut, leaving Michael alone with the house to himself. Normally, he would have used his spare time to watch TV or play a video game, but tonight he decided to practice styling his hair the way it had been done for the junior prom.

_"If I recreate that look, maybe she'll notice me more."_

* * *

His efforts to look cool ultimately proved to be pointless when he returned to school for his final year and was confronted by Lisa in the cafeteria at lunchtime.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked as she placed her lunch tray down the way Christopher once did.

"Sure, why not?"

"Is something bothering you?"

"Where's Chris?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him all day."

"Really? I thought you would, seeing how you went to the prom with him."

"And that's all we did. We're not dating or anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

They sat and ate in silence until their meals were finished, at which point Lisa put her fork down and cleared her throat.

"I need to tell you something."

"Go ahead."

"How should I put it? Well, when my friends were getting excited over who they were going with, I didn't have anyone. So I actually thought of asking you, but it turned out you were part of the band."

"That makes sense, but why did you have to go for Chris?"

"I don't know... I guess I wasn't thinking straight."

"How about now?"

"I think my mind's pretty clear today..."

"That's great."

"By the way, you're not a very good singer."

"I know that by now."

A female voice loudly called out to Lisa from across the room and she briefly turned around to see who it was, before choosing to ignore them.

"Since it's the first day and all, I guess you still have plenty of time after school, right?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Do you want to meet me outside the mall then? We can go shopping."

"Shopping? Isn't that what you do with _your_ friends?"

"Yes, but I think some of you boys would do well to try it too one day."

"Alright then, I'll go with you..." Michael replied, despite being confused as to what he would gain from participating in an apparently girly pastime.

* * *

"I can't believe it." Karen moaned in despair as she got into the car beside Steve and he prepared to leave the hospital carpark.

"Neither can I. I don't know if I'm ready for this..."

"I guess that explains why I've been feeling so sick lately." She continued without really listening to her partner's words.

Steve didn't mind however, for as they got further away from the hospital and his mind grew more at ease, it became clear what steps he would take to prepare for the future.

"Where are we going?" Karen raised her voice in confusion when he set off in the opposite direction of their home.

"To a jewellery store," came the steadfast reply.


	17. Break Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our two protagonists graduate and attend prom as a couple. The title of this chapter comes from the song by Swing Out Sister.

"Crap..."

"Is something wrong?" Lisa asked cluelessly as she followed Michael's lead and stopped outside the hairdresser's.

"It's nothing. Let's just move along." He said anxiously, turning around and stepping in front of her as if he wanted to shield her from something. She decided to go along with his odd behaviour and wait until he was calm to start asking questions.

"Sorry about freaking out like that..." He apologized once they were a safe distance away. "If you're wondering what happened, well, I saw my sister in that shop."

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah. I didn't tell you, did I?"

"And I thought you were...nevermind, which one was her?"

Michael's previous frown disappeared and was replaced by a shy smile.

"The girl with the really big perm. It's not her natural hair, though."

"Who cares?" Lisa remarked after giving a laugh of relief. "As long as she looks good, it shouldn't matter."

She eagerly turned to see Michael's reaction, only to have her attention stolen by the sight of some other girls standing in the distance. One of them waved to her and she paused for a moment, unsure of how to respond, before she made up her mind and grabbed on to Michael's arm.

"We need to get out of here. Now."

* * *

The efforts they'd taken to keep their meetings secret were all undone by the end of the following week. Lisa was heckled by the other girls in her social circle each lunchtime as they became determined to discover the truth about what she did at the mall after school.

The obnoxious questions and drama drove her to the point where she could no longer put up with the attention and feeling rather fed up, she decided to tell her friends what they wanted to hear, knowing it was the only answer that would satisfy them.

"That's interesting..." Stacey remarked as she sat on the changing room bench. "I thought you would do better, but I guess being able to play the guitar is kind of cool too."

"There's one thing I want you all to do." Lisa began to explain seriously, ignoring the redhead so that she could focus on the rest of the cheerleading team as a whole. "Before we leave, you have to promise not to tell anyone else about Michael and I. Please?"

"Sure! You can count on us!" Stacey piped up in enthusiasm while some of the other girls halfheartedly nodded in agreement.

 _"Well, I guess my reputation is over. There's no way I can trust this bunch."_ Lisa thought to herself dejectedly upon observing all the less than interested facial expressions.

* * *

"Surprise!" Three voices yelled in unison, causing Michael to jump in panic as the light was abruptly turned on and he blinked to ease his sore eyes.

He recognized his mother, father and Sharon immediately once his vision had adjusted to the decrease in darkness. They were standing around a cake on the table and dressed in their best clothes, which was no doubt an attempt to make celebrating his upcoming graduation seem like something extra special.

Sharon ran out from behind the table to give him a tight hug while she expressed pride over how much he had grown during the past three years.

"You know, I saw you at the mall last week with some girl and I almost didn't recognize you. Why didn't you say hello or wave to me?"

"I...I'll explain later." He said weakly as he wriggled out of her arms and gently shoved her away.

He made his way to the table just as his mother began cutting the cake, while fearfully trying to avoid eye contact with his father regardless of how rude it probably made him look.

Mr Russo called him down to the garage after the two women were done with their part in the celebration and he took a deep breath before following the intimidating man downstairs, hoping that nothing too confronting would be in store for him.

* * *

" _That's_ his car?" Cynthia exclaimed in disbelief upon seeing the secondhand vehicle parking clumsily by the pavement.

"Yeah..." Lisa replied in embarrassment as she averted her eyes. "He said his parents gave it to him as a present."

"Well, I feel sorry for you..." The blonde muttered with a sigh of disapproval while Lisa stepped away from the kerb and joined her so-called boyfriend in the car. She turned to another girl to ask a pressing question after the pair had driven away.

"You know something I can never understand? Why some girls seem to be so attracted to poor guys. I mean, I can't think of a single upside to dating one."

"I don't get it either. Maybe we can ask her the next time we see her."

"Good idea."

* * *

"I guess it's about time you I took you to my house. I think my sister would love you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you'd be the perfect person for her to practice on."

"Um, could you tell me about your Mom and Dad? What are they like?" Lisa asked, eager to change the subject to something other than her hair.

"Well, Mom's a nurse and she's pretty nice. I guess it's my Dad you really need to watch out for. It doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl, he's raising you as if you're going to join the army one day."

"That sounds tough." Lisa said in sympathy as he turned slowly into the next street.

"He tells me that I should be an accountant, since math is apparently the only worthwhile thing I'm good at."

"What about the guitar?"

"Oh, that won't get me anywhere, according to him."

He stopped the car to allow a pedestrian to cross the road and glanced at her inquisitively.

"How about you? What are you going to do after graduation?"

Lisa stared him in the eyes and considered telling a lie just so that it would seem she wasn't entirely directionless. However, an unexplained urge seemed to tell her it would be wiser to admit the truth, which was what she did after a few seconds of silence.

"I still have no idea..."

"That's okay. I'm not so sure either." He said reassuringly. She smiled in relief at his understanding.

* * *

"Don't you want to join me? We're the only ones still seated."

"Sorry, slow dancing's never been my sort of thing. I'd rather wait till later." Alison explained to her date whilst trying to stifle a bored yawn.

"Are you sure? This might just be the last time you ever get to do it."

"Whatever. I'm still not interested."

"Fine..." Christopher sighed in defeat. "...if you're the kind of person who likes to skip foreplay, I guess I'm in no position to judge."

"What the hell?"

"I'm saying that the slow dance is just a warm-up for the more exciting part."

"Fine. I'll dance..."

The odd couple squeezed their way into the nearest corner and began to waltz along as best as they could. Elsewhere, Lisa was allowing Michael to place his hands against her hips despite the initial discomfort she'd felt.

_"I guess I could do with getting used to this sort of thing, especially if I plan on losing my virginity..."_

She quickly glanced at the Prom King and Queen before turning back to look into her partner's eyes. It dawned upon her that the moment was just right for her to make a first move.

"Michael, we're together now, aren't we?"

"Apparently..."

"Well, if that's the case, I guess it can't hurt to do this..."

She propped herself up on her toes and cupped his face gently in her hands. He did not resist as she pressed her lips against his and felt a thrill all over.

The way he followed her back to their table like some lost sheep inexplicably filled her with satisfaction that he seemed to be under her control. Countless possibilities rushed through her mind and she had to actively restrain herself from making another advance on him.

_"Maybe I should wait until later. He doesn't look like he's ready for it yet..."_

* * *

"Is everything alright? You look scared." Blaine remarked in concern upon opening the back door and seeing how pale his girlfriend's complexion had become.

"I can assure you that I'm perfectly fine. I'm just a little nervous, that's all..." Cynthia muttered impatiently through gritted teeth as she ogled the young man's broad shoulders and toned physique.

"You sure? We don't have to do it now, you know..."

"No, it's either now or never! I can't go on lying forever!"

"Fine..." The Prom King relented with a sigh as he rose slightly and began to unbutton his pants. "But it might hurt, so you'd better be prepared for that..."


	18. In Too Deep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The focus here is more on supporting characters than the protagonists. The title comes from the song by Genesis.

The sound of high heels clicking against the tiled floor caused a couple of heads to turn, as they recognized the woman entering the room and remembered old experiences they'd shared with her.

She stopped to speak with a woman by the name of Janice, before she continued on and met with the one person she had known since elementary school.

"It's nice to hear this sort of music, isn't it?" She casually remarked while they sat down to have a quick drink together. "I almost feel like I'm eighteen again..."

"Come on, you're not _that_ old..."

"Well, I guess you don't know about my trip to the chiropractor last week."

"A chiropractor? What happened to you?"

"A sore back from sitting too much..." She admitted in shame before swallowing her whole drink without stopping. "It's like I'm in a trap. Carlos and I work for weeks without seeing each other, then we squander our money by throwing parties and going to fancy restaurants..."

"Barbara, you can't be serious. That's not your actual life, is it?" The man asked as he stared at her in shock and nervously inched away.

"I'm not joking. It's the only way I can keep him interested in me..."

"If that's the case, then maybe he's not the right guy-"

"I've been talking too much about myself, haven't I? What about you, Steve? How are things with Karen?"

"Well, it's fine, I guess. She's been a little passive ever since the test came back positive, but it's nothing to be concerned about..."

A smile of both amusement and surprise spread over Barbara's face as she playfully knocked her old friend in the shoulder.

"If somebody told me ten years ago that you'd settle down first, I would never have believed them with you being such a rambler."

"Me? I pretty sure that's my Dad you're confusing me with. I was always at home cooking and cleaning for Mom when she was too hungover to do anything."

"So, that time we ditched class to get high only happened in my imagination?"

"Perhaps..." Steve answered in uncertainty before his attention was temporarily stolen by the late arrival of Gloria, a former classmate who had recently abandoned her legal career for a job at a local television station.

Barbara cleared her throat when he turned back to her and she considered telling him about the depressing news she'd received from a gynecologist earlier in the year.

She decided against it after much deliberation and convinced herself it was something she and Carlos would have to work through in private.

* * *

Lisa felt grateful that her father had provided her with a summer job that allowed her extra time to contemplate what she wanted to study at college.

She made herself busy reorganizing a filing cabinet despite knowing she wouldn't be payed, while going through options in her head. Fields such as art and journalism seemed to appeal to her as of late, though she doubted whether she was cracked up to do well in those subjects.

Her mind wandered towards Michael and how he was handling his accounting degree. She remembered all of the high grades he'd earned at school and assumed he was experiencing just as much success with his tertiary education.

She bit her lip and pushed her focus back to the assortment of files, only to have her peace interrupted by the unexplained arrival of some police officers.

They strode swiftly past her before she could question their presence and as they reached the other end of the office block, she realized they were heading towards the area her father was stationed in.

* * *

 _"Earl Perkins, huh? What an unfortunate name..."_ Barbara thought to herself in amusement as she lay alone in bed and went over the details of a prominent case before she fell asleep.

She managed to stifle her laughter upon remembering one of the reports she'd been given and instead tried to focus on the more serious aspects, such as the victim's young age and his drug overdose that would not have happened if the dealers had been brought to justice sooner.

_"Still, it's not enough to just remove access to a drug, especially when someone is hopelessly addicted. Their family would still have to deal with a person going through withdrawal and all kinds of desperation..."_

The bedside phone began to ring and she sat up with some difficulty before lazily stretching her arm out to grasp the receiver.

"Hello? Who is it?" She asked the caller in frustration.

 _"Sorry to bother you so late at night, madam. Does Carlos Alvarez live here?"_ An unfamiliar male voice greeted her.

"Well, he's in another city and won't be back until next week. Maybe you could pass a message on to me?"

_"I'm afraid I can't. He and I have some private business to settle."_

"So you can't even tell me, his wife?"

_"That's funny. He never said anything about you..."_

"What do you mean?"

The mysterious man abruptly refused to answer her question and abruptly hung up. She sat and stared at the phone for a long while afterwards as she tried to guess his motives, before exhaustion finally overcame her and she lay down again, chalking the call up to some urgent matter that he decided to drop for whatever reason.

Nevertheless, some suspicion was now planted in her head as to what else Carlos was currently doing besides his usual work-related business and her imagination went wild with possibilities of infidelity and criminal activity.


	19. Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from the song by Heart.

Barbara sat alone at the dinner table with an empty plate still in front of her while she gazed at the calendar, knowing it was the night her husband was supposed to return from his so-called business trip.

She reminisced about her wedding day and honeymoon as she continued to cling to the hope that he had merely been faced with some delay, rather than having decided not to return to keep her company.

Her focus shifted to examine the other dates on the calendar and she eventually stood up and left the dining room with the hope of distracting herself by going through taxes.

* * *

"I never thought we'd have an empty nest, but I guess we're finally there."

"That's great, Judith." Rob absentmindedly said in reply without looking away from his newspaper.

One of the top stories happened to concern a board member of some trade company who had been arrested for possession in the wake of a series of drug related deaths and the more he studied the photo of the condemned man, the more apparent it became that he had seen their face before.

"Rob, are you listening to me?" Judith impatiently raised her voice, forcing him to put all vengeful thoughts on hold for the time being.

"What?"

"I'm saying that we finally have a chance to go out and simply enjoy each other's company. Just like when we were young."

"Oh, that. Well, what do you have in mind?"

Judith curled her fingers and let out a sigh of disbelief.

"You're leaving it up to me again? Don't you want to have a say in this?"

"Darling..." He addressed her in an unusually gentle tone. "...you know that regardless of what we do, I'll always find a way to make myself enjoy it, no matter how hard it might be."

"Alright, whatever it is that you wish, I'll make sure it happens." Judith ended the conversation before smiling in pride at the cryptic answer she had given.

* * *

Lisa anxiously flipped through the pages of the newspaper, struggling to resist reading about her own father's arrest until she'd reached the classified section.

She hurriedly went through some of the advertised jobs while calling restaurants, private households and cleaning services in the hope of finding a second job that would assist in paying the bills and the massive amount of debt her father had never told her about.

An hour passed with little progress and she considered giving up her efforts so that she could wait until the next day. However, a particularly gaudy advertisement quickly caught her eye and it was with dismay that she discovered it was some strip club calling for new entertainers to join their ranks.

 _"Dad would shoot himself if I ever took up a job like that..."_ She thought while shaking her head in dismay. _"But then again, serving jail time is a much bigger problem, so maybe he'll actually thank me for it in the long run."_

She decided to take the chance after much indecision and hesitantly dialled the number before holding the receiver up to her ear. She swore that she could hear her own heart pounding while she waited in uncertainty for a response.

A rough male voice greeted her after about a minute and demanded to know what sort of occasion she was planning.

"I'm sorry sir, but that's not what I'm after..." She began to explain as her cheeks flushed red in shame.

* * *

Michael clasped his hands together in discomfort while his fellow accounting students got excited at the sight of attractive women removing their clothes to pounding music.

"Lara Birch..." He read out loud upon catching a glimpse of the list of dancers while the other young men debated which girl they wanted to see.

He found it difficult to fathom why he felt so guilty being in a place that was built to provide pleasure to males in his age group, though when he really tried, it became clear that it was partially due to the fact one of the girls resembled Sharon slightly.

 _"Well, I guess none of these guys have sisters..."_ He thought glumly while everyone else remained oblivious to the discontent look on his face.

The rest of the party eventually decided on Tiffany, a busty redhead who was currently twirling around a pole and flexing her toned legs. A long whistle sounded and Michael's eyes widened as he saw someone familiar emerge in a revealing schoolgirl outfit.

"Lisa!" He yelled, rising from his seat after watching her strip for another man proved too much for him to bear.

She spun around in shock as he rushed towards her, only to be halted at the last moment by an aggressive bouncer.

"Have some control of yourself, boy. You'll get your turn soon enough." The large man said threateningly while forcing him back to his seat.

Michael landed in the chair and lowered his head in defeat so that he wouldn't have to see anymore of Lisa's seductive performance.

A few minutes passed and he figured the best thing to do would be to go out for some fresh air and allow his body to relax.

* * *

"This phone call's from Lara. She claims you're her boyfriend."

"Thanks, Josh..." Michael said wearily as he rose to take the receiver from his roommate.

_"Hi, Michael. I'm so sorry about last night. It's a long story, how I got there, but I'm sure you want to know the truth..."_

He rolled his eyes as the memory of her half-naked body invaded his mind.

"Listen, can you call back later? I'm really tired and I have lots of study to catch up on."

_"Okay... I'll try again tomorrow. Bye."_

An abrupt click caught him by surprise before crackling static became the only sound he could hear. He put the receiver back in it's proper position and opened his exercise book, refusing to answer his roommate's questions while he scribbled numbers and letters on the page.


	20. Here I Go Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael gets a taste of the sort of music that will blow up in the next decade, while Barbara makes a life changing decision concerning her future.
> 
> The title of this final chapter comes from the song by Whitesnake.

Barbara lay slumped against the couch, still in her nightgown and with her hair unbrushed while a melodramatic soap opera played on TV. She caught a glimpse of her unkempt appearance reflected on the bright screen and felt like a failure for not even being able to maintain a marriage for two years.

Looking back, she wondered how she could have been so oblivious to the fact that Carlos was more attracted to her promises than who she was as a person. As a result, the moment it became clear she couldn't offer the life he dreamed of having, any passion he felt for her quickly burned out and drove him to seek companionship elsewhere.

Two female characters began to fight over some puerile matter and she stared down at the floor in sorrow, knowing that despite her blossoming career and financial stability, she still felt a little inferior in comparison to those of her highschool friends who were now married and raising children.

_"Is this what I've become? A lonely, infertile divorcee who does nothing but work, sleep and watch Dynasty for entertainment? And I'm not even thirty..."_

She reached for the remote control and switched off the television, causing the room to plunge into silence before she closed her eyes to allow herself some rest.

The hours passed by sluggishly as she slowly slipped into a reclining position and in her dreams, she was visited by her bright-eyed eighteen year old self, whom bitterly scolded her for allowing a dandy to steal such a large part of her happiness.

* * *

Michael trudged up the steep driveway towards the front door and rang the bell three times upon arrival as he had agreed to do.

The door swung open a minute later to reveal Lisa smiling at him through the entrance, while a tight black dress clung to her body, creating a contrast against her fair skin and light eyes.

He followed her inside and she locked the door before escortimg him to the tidied up living room and offering to share a bottle of champagne she'd found in an old closet.

"Sure. I've always wanted to know how it tastes..." He obliged with a slight nod of the head.

She immediately sprung from the sofa upon hearing his reply and rushed towards the kitchen. Michael straightened up and found that the way the hem of her dress tightly hugged her backside excited him a little too much for his own sense of decency.

She returned in no time holding two glasses of the clear sparkling liquid and handed one to him. They lay back against the sofa together and gave a toast to each other before they leisurely began to sip their drinks, neither of them in much of a hurry to get to the physical side of things.

The long hand of the clock reached twelve by the time they finally placed their empty glasses down on the coffee table. Lisa once again was the first to stand and she made her way into the hall while beckoning for him to follow.

He did as she wished while they climbed up the stairs and eventually came to a room with a double bed. Michael's head began to buzz when she turned on the light and recounted some story about her parents' wedding night, though he found himself unable to comprehend much of it.

Clarity returned to him once he saw Lisa slowly turn around and undo the zip on her dress, allowing it to fall down to her waist so that her smooth back was exposed.

He responded by removing his jacket and loosening his tie, before impulse drove him to trudge towards the bedroom door and push it shut.

* * *

Michael awoke the next morning with an aching head and dry mouth as he tried to come to terms with the deed he had performed the night before. A glance at the old clock beside the bed convinced him it was rather late in the day and that he had overslept by a few hours.

He pulled himself into a sitting position and noticed Lisa still fast asleep next to him. He considered waking her to announce that he was leaving, only to decide against it when he remembered the situation with her father and the possibility that she had another hectic evening ahead of her.

He hurriedly got dressed in the hallway and wandered downstairs, taking the house keys off the wall on his way to the front door.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he stepped outside and saw that the sun was only just beginning to rise above the horizon. It was a cautious journey downhill from there as he finally reached his parked car and unlocked the doors.

The radio sprung to life at the same time he started the engine and for some unknown reason, the sound of syntheszier heavy pop tunes no longer filled him with the joy he'd experienced at the age of thirteen, when Christopher had sent him that Gary Numan album as a birthday present.

It was then that he remembered the name of the alternative rock station some members of his college fraternity had been talking about recently, so he adjusted the dial until he had found the right frequency and leaned back to get a proper sense of the music.

The song currently being played was in his opinion, rather raw and stripped down compared to what was regularly broadcast on MTV, though he knew it was something he could definitely grow accustomed to if given the chance to have a few more listens.

He pulled out on to the road while humming along to the music and for a moment he felt as if Lisa was sitting beside him.

* * *

The weeks and months following Barbara's divorce soon bled into each other as she lost and won an equal number of cases, with Christmas vacation being the only clear mark that another year was gradually coming to an end.

She still managed to regularly get in touch with Gloria, her roommate back in law school and needless to say, the now part-time news presenter was very much happy with her married life and expecting a baby boy in spring.

As for her childhood friend Steven, she had encountered him once by complete coincidence while out shopping, only noticing the ring on his finger and the plump little girl in his arms until he'd actively pointed them out.

The depression over her seemingly bleak future steadily grew with it's effects finally coming to a halt the night she decided to take matters into her own hands and consulted the phone book for a list of orphanages in the area.

She eventually chose the one she believed to be the most reputable and gave them a call, with an appointment being organized for some time early in the following year.


End file.
